The News-Herald. [volume] (Hillsboro, Highland Co., Ohio) 1886-1973, 1887-07-21
A FAMOUS BALL.
MAGNIr1CENcE sURPAssrNa ANY.
THING POSSIBLE NOWADAYS.

The Masquerade Ball Of the French Am.
bassador 1t Rome In 11B1--A Blase of
Diamonds and Precious stOnes-The Cor.
gsous Dresses Of the Ladies'.
The splendid balls given in England
IN connection with the jubilee celebra-
tion have drawn out accounts Of famous
pageants Of the past. No modern enter
tainment can compare In splendor, 1t is
stated, with the mask ball given by the
French ambassador at Rome in 1851, to
celebrate the birth of "the most serene
royal Duke of Burgundy" The ball
lasted over three days; 1t was given in
one Of the most splendid palaces in
Italy, which was decorated for the occa-
sion on scale of such magnificence as
alone would have rendered the affair
memorable. The ladies' dresses are de-
scribed 90 marvelously rich and beau
tiful.
This most serene royal Duke of Bur-
gundy was the elder brother of Louis
XVI; and the nobleman who celebrated
his birth in such regal style was the Lord
Duke Of Nivernois, then the "Ambassa-
dor of his Majesty the Most Christian
King at the Court of the Holiness of
Our Lord Pope Benedict XIV" The
entertainment was given at the French
embassy-the Palazzo Farnese-famous
for its vast and nobly- -proportioned sa-
looms, which are adorned with paintings
by Annibale Carracci, Guido, Volterra,
Domenichino and other masters. Five
Of these apartments were filed for three
successive nights with dancers, who
seem scrupulously to have "kept it up
till daylight" the middle classes were
invited as we'll as the nobility; and, in
order to receive "the infinite number of
maskers" without disorder, guard Of
soldiers was provided. The scene is
faithfully described" in detail by an
eyewitness, one Giovanni Reffino, in .
pamphlet published shortly after the
event and now very scarce.
The grandest saloon was set apart for
the nobility, who, says Reffino, appeared
in truly superb pomp." There was her
excellency the ambassadress of Venice
/ foremost for majesty of appearance"
in charming costume after the Ger
man fashion, and perfectly supporting
the graceful character of Tyrolese
peasant woman" 1.-THE worthy Reffino's
Ideas seem trifle mixed here. She wore
q superb petticoat of white satin with
bouquets of natural flowers q tightly
fitting bodice with chemisette and sleeves
Of the finest muslin, dotted over with
/ At of
flowers; and a black Tyrolese cap en-
riched with various and tastefully d.
vided groups of jewels; Ito all which
pleasing and rich adornment new charms
were added by the department of her ex-
cellency, who attracted the respectful ad-
miration of all present" There was the
Princess di Viano, in "a most charming
dress of rose color, festooned with the
rarest Flanders lace" Her hair was, so
to speak, powdered with precious stones,
and on her left breast she wore
q mass of diamonds, emeralds, and
rubies "in an ingenious design"
and large pear-shaped pearl sur
rounded by smaller ones. The Duchess
Salviatti appeared "glittering in rich
hussar costume, with a brocade petit
coat" the ground of which was purple
damask worked with silver branches and
flowers in natural colors. A hussar-
jacket of sky-blue velvet hung loosely
from one shoulder, and her head-dress
was hussar-cap to match the jacket,
both being trimmed with rare furs of
Muscovy." The hilt of her grace's sabre
was of gold, the sword knot of dia-
monds while "strings of large pearls"
beamed on her neck and mingled with
the tassel on her cap. The effect of this
brilliant costume, says Reffino, was en-
HANGED "by the spi,ftuel affability of her
excellency. The Marchesa Sacripanti
was "superbly attired in white and gold
brocade with natural-colored flowers"
The bodice was of the same, and from
the back of it fell "long folds of crimson
velvet with sleeves to match, the head
dress being a small black velvet hat
adorned with jewels to match the neck
lace" The Marchesa Costaguti was also
in white and gold brocade, with Turk
ish turban of cloth and silver, fastened
by half-moon in diamonds;" while the
Countessa Carpegna wore white train
various rural landscapes"
But these splendors pale before the
glories of the Marchesa Gaucci and the
Lady Mobilia Falconieri. The former,
who was q young bride, went as the
Goddess Minerva, and so impressed were
the soldiers by her commanding air, 80
dazzled by her helmet and breastplate
blazing with precious stones and pearls,
that they instinctively presented arms as
she passed by, which, naively observes
the chronicler, was very proper. She
wore white petticoat sprinkled with
spots of gold and blue embroidery, and
her sleeves were also blue and Ia guer-
riers /; her baldrick was "set with superb
Jewels" and her hair was dressed in
short curls like a MANS" The Lady
Mobilia, as the Rising Sun, wore as elab-
orately symbolical costume as ever was
conceived. On the right side of her
bodice, which was "entirely covered with
diamonds" was a rising sun, ''whose
golden rays illuminated hemisphere
designed upon the skirt of the
gown, together with the signs OF
the zodiac. The moon was there
also, embroidered in silver, "to signify
that she had paled in the light of the
greater luminary," which the careful
Reffino describes as shining upon
various terrestrial scenes skillfully
painted round the edge of the skirt
while, by way of showing that the sur
left darkness behind him, night wal
symbolized by flowing drapery oi
black, studded with silver stars which
fell negligently from the shoulder. The
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